Talking-machine.



V. H. EMERSON. TALKING MACHINE. APPUCM'ION FILED FEE-18| i916. LiL fT/MLM Patnt. July 23, h.

2 SHEETS-SHEET L I. with which they may be employed.

in object ot my invention is to provide in `tallrinwv machines simple, convenient and etlective'ineans for adjustably holding the sound-box and its diaphragm in ditl'erent positions relative to the grooves ot' sound records in reproducing troni grooves ot ditferent types. r

` l further object ot my invention is to .provide "tor use in machines ot the class described a swinging tonefarm, horn or other sound conducting and amplifying device with means tor shitting the sound-bon to:

lic use at a somewhat later period than thel Edison design.; and the third type, comprising; a form of groove which has both lateral and vertical. undulations. rlhis last named type et sound reproducing groove vlnaoufn as the Emerson universal record, has

only recently been introduced into public lill 'horizontal plane of the surface oi' the record te I use tory/bieb. Letters Patent were issued lo the present applicant.

lln the Edison, or, as it is 'also called, the hill-and-dale type of groove the reproducing needle is adapted to vibrate Within a vertical plane relative thereto as the point is dravvn over the up-and-down variations alongl the bottom ot the groove. ln the Berliner or zig-zag type of groove the needle atv its point vibrates laterally Within the a u n l While in the third class, above referred te ...uen-m Flpeeieation et Letters latent.

Patented duly Elli,

implication tiled. February lll, 1916. llerial llo. 'itlll'l i as the Emerson type oit grooves, the sound may be reproduced by vibrating,F the needle point either horizontally Within or vertically to the surface plane ot the record. Hence, in order'to en'iploy either an Edison or a Berliner record a correspfmidin,eI adjustnient et the sound loon and stylus is required for eaelnlvvhile with the Emerson universal record either adjustment applicable to the other respective types et record grooves may be used to reproduce the sound repre sented thereby.

Accordingly various devices have been employed in the past, certain forms of which are still in use, for thus converting,` the sound box from one position, in which it is operable' for vertically undulatory grooves, to another adjusted position for `grooves Whose A1walls are laterally undula# tory, in both ot which adjustments the diaphragm oi the sound boit and the stylus lever are swung; through substantially 'fill ninety degrees from the one position to the other in order to conform to the differing characteristics ot the respective grooves. l-llence, for the up-and-down groove the dian phrapgm in the sound bei; is almost universally held cross-vvise of the groove, that is to say, either in a perpendicular or oblique plane that cuts the grooves at right angles to the direction thereof; or, as in the earlier Edison and graphophone machines, the diaphragm was held in a plane substantially parallel to the surface of the record, or tangentially parallel with reference to the point ot' contact ot the stylus upon the cylindrical record used at that period. lliilrewise in connection with the Berliner zig-zag type oi' record groove the almost universal practice is to employ the vertical arrangement of the diaphragm and stylus so that all parts vibrate laterally, as do the undulations of that type of groove. 'llhus it has heretofore been the prevailing practice that the point of the reproducing1 stylus so held as to vibrate either vertically for .Edison groove, or to oscillate laterally tor the Berliner type.

ln the present invention, however, While practising my invention with the Berliner or zig-zag type of groove l use the diaphragm and stylus in the same general man- 11er as now employed in connection. with the laterally vibratingsound box, but When using my improvement with an Edison vertilill) cally undulatory groove I support the sound box in a position not at all as has been the practice heretofore, but with the sound box inclined sidewise' of and not crosswise lto the course of the groove, so that while the sound box itself wi"i vibrate laterally, as it does When used with the zig-Zag groove, the point of the reproducing stylus'will vibrate obliquelyrelativelv to the surface of the record. It is not deemed necessary to specify in detail the reasons for the adjustments set forth, especially with reference to the vertically undulatory groove, inasmuch as I have pending before the Office an application for Letters Patent for improvements relative to sound box construction to be used in connection with the groove of that type, which application goes more fully into the description of that mechanism and the manner of its operation. Hence, in the present application it has been thought advisable to limit thejspeeification to the convertible means entirely, whereby a sound box of the general type here described may be employed interchangeably with the one or the other types of grooves as described.

Briefly stated in its broad aspect, therefore, my invention comprises a tone arm With a sound box supported at. one end and having means for holding the said box in tWo operable positions, one of which is adapted to reproducing sounds from the so- .called vertically undulatory groove, the

other adapted to operating in connection with a laterally undulatory groove; it being further provided that in both of said positions the needle point vibrates substantially g in the sameoperable directions, although in connection with the latter or zigzag type of groove the vibrations of the stylus point are in a plane exactly parallel with the surface of the record when reproducing in the highest degree of eflieieney, while in connection with the former or Edison type of groove the plane in Which the stylus point oscillates is obliquely disposed with reference to the surface of the record to which it is thus applied. In connection with the Emerson type or universal record, which has `vertical and lateral undulations combined in a single groove, my improvement will apply practically with the same effect in either of said adjusted positions as above distinguished.

Having reference to the drawings: Figure 1 in side elevation is a partial View of a tone conducting arm, mounted upon the frame of 'a talking machine, with a sound-box held vertically relative to the record in connection with which it is illustrated.

' Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the sound-box and tone arm as shown in Fig. 1;

Figs. 3 and 4 are corresponding side and end views of the sound box and tone arm in a rotatably changed position relative to that shown in Figs. 1 and 2;

arm andsound-box s Fig. 5 is an enlarged partial view of the point of the needle resting inv a record groove; l

Figs. 6 and 7 are res ective views of a tone liown in comparative positions as in Figs. 1 and 3 respectively with the stylus lever moved; l

Fig. 8 is a side elevation similar to Fig. 1 showing a horn attached directly to the sound box; and

Fig. 9 is a cross sectional view on line 9-9 of Fig. 8.

Referring to the drawings, illustrating a preferred embodiment of my invention employed in connection with a familiar form. ofsound-box 1, attached to the usual type ofiitone arm 6 as shown in Fig. 101` to a horn 10 as `in Fig. 8, and having a straight vibrating lever 3' pivoted in the usual manner to the side of the-- box so as to operate in a plane substantially perpendicular to the diaphragyjn 2. Other types of sound-boxes, while conforming in the essential features to the structure described, may vary as to the relative arrangement of the stylus lever with reference to the diaphragm, or slightv variations may be made in the direction of movement of the free or needle end 4 of the stylus lever relatively to the plane of the diaphragm; it will be noted, however, that in whatever form the sound-'box is constructed and equipped,` it has been found preferable to hold that member in certain predetermined positions to obtain the highest point of eiliciency. -That is to say, it 1s generally recognized that for reproducing from the Berliner or zigzag type of groove as already pointed out, the sound-box of the .best construction has its lever disposed in a plane substantially parallel to that of the diaphragm and is held in an operable position so that the diaphragm and the stylus lever stand vertically with relation to the face of the record. The needle itself in this type of record may be slightly inclined within the vertical plane, as shown in Fig. l, in which the contacting point of the needle has been advanced in the direction of the travel of the groove in which it rests. This variation is, however, of comparatively minor import and largely influ enced by the nature of the contacting pointv in one of the desired positions, as is shown for example in Fig. 1 for reproducing from the zig-zag groove. Hence, when the tube 6 is carried to the position illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4 the stop 8 will be at the opposite end of the slot 'T as shown in Fig. 3. If the end of the tone arm l0 be fitted so as to form a frictional Contact with the tube 6 the simple form of pin shown projecting into the slot would be sufficient to contact the rotatable adjustments described. But in connection with the preferred form of my improven'ient I employ a small thumbv 13 having attached thereto at its upper end a hinge 12 upon which pivotal bearing the swing arm may also be raised-.and lowered as desired.

While the preferred embodimentv of 1n f improvement comprises features substantially as set forth, I do not desire to be limited tothe exact forms illustrated. For example any of the well known types of -sound-box and forms of levers employed therewith may be used in the manner described. Likewise instead of the jointed construction of the tube Gand tone arm 10, those parts may be made integral or relatively iXed and the entire arm and soundj boX rotated together to the desired extent by any convenient means, such for example as shown in Figs. S and 9 wherein a sound swivel pin 13 is added to the hinge member 12 (best shown in Fig. 9). 'lhus by having the respective swivel pins 13 and 13n correspondingly disposed with reference to the desired angle of inclination of the sound-box, whereupon the arm 10- or horn l0"1 may be swung both vertically .ind horizontally as required, the sound-box is thereby held in position contemplated by my improved means.

A tone arm `including two sections and a swivel joint connect-ing the sections, one section consisting of an lopper arm and a forearm, the forearm having its swinging end at an angle of substantially 9()Q to the axis of the joint, the upper arm and the portion of the other section adjacent'the swivel joint and the axis of the swivel joint being normally substantially horizontal, a. sound box secured to the swinging end of the forearm so that the diaphragm and the needle are iu a plane substantially parallel to the axis of the swivel joint, and vertical in one position of the forearm whereby the device is adapted to play one type of record and may be rotated about the axis of the swivel joint until the diaphragm and needle plane are substantially at forty-live degrees tothe previous mentioned position so that the apparatus isalso adapted to playl another type of record.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses, this 1st day of l `ehruar v, 191.6.

V I @TOR Il. EMERSON.

lllitnesses Enrrii ENMssoN, Emzann'rir HU'rH. 

